Concussion discussion III: The “Impact Indicator” for hockey players

Many recent high-profile cases of post-concussion syndrome have demonstrated that athletes from a wide variety of sports are vulnerable to injury. If superstars such as Sidney Crosby, Justin Morneau and Chris Paul can be sidelined with head injuries, any of us can. Indeed, important questions remain about the risks at the minor league level and the best way to protect young athletes. One recent effort is called the “Impact Indicator”. When embedded into a hockey helmet, the indicator flashes when an athlete has been hit with enough force to potentially cause a concussion. When a threshold is crosses, a green light changes to red.

Impact Indicator

Q. While the idea makes some sense, one wonders if players will be out to “light” other players up rather than focusing on just finishing a check.

UPDATE: Here is a response from the company, BattleSmart concerning the above question.

“This is a very positive question and addresses a long time concern in the sport.

Unfortunately that behaviour is already going on today and has been for a long time and is often encouraged by coaches and players – only it often cannot be determined who is doing this intentional and aggressive hitting

We need to address that behaviour and encourage all officials and coaches and players that this kind of behaviour and play will not be permitted or tolerated.

The Impact indicator will actually serve to help identify the players / teams who do this.”